I Think You’re Bonkers

School is so the right choice for all of us at the moment. Dino is loving it, mostly, and today he’s trying out for the school football team. He’s raced through reading books and revels in telling me that he has to read to me and he loves that I make sure we do that when Mimi’s not about. My observations about him being mathematically intuitive are spot on and he’s flying with his numeracy. He is less confident with literacy/writing but he’s equally keen to work at it now and not be seen as the slow kid. He’s clashed with rules a couple of times but his teacher is pleased with him.

Mimi has spent so much time with paint, glue, cardboard boxes, writing stories…. I’ve rearranged the living room, done housework, loved the calm and quiet. 

Couldn’t ask for more really. 

Dino’s started school and enjoyed his first day.

Mimi spent the day occupying herself while I did diy stuff in the garden. I got to hammer in peace while she did papier mache, painting, cutting up bits of paper, put her clothes away in her wardrobe, and some other stuff. Then she demanded my presence for making jelly because it involves really hot water….

Oh and since I last blogged Copper found a new home that didn’t involve a casserole dish and we got a new hen who is most definitely female. She’s a cuckoo maran and called Cookie.

Our new "hen" Copper, isn’t a hen. He started crowing…..

Anyone want a pet cockerel?

Dino had his full day in school just before his birthday and he came home absolutely shattered  and having done more work in one go than he ever has - but he enjoyed it and is talking about the local kids as being "in my class" with a big grin. The change in him is remarkable and has been noticed by other people too.

School is clearly the right thing for him, for us and for now. I’m feeling better about it all, although I’m really not looking forward to having to get up in the mornings from Sept. 

Mimi is planning lots of baking, painting, colouring and dvd watching for during the school day when she and I are home together. 

This summer, for the first time, I’m letting them both play out at the front of the house - with local kids and on bikes/skateboards etc. I figured that as Dino gets older and as he’s going to be in school with quite a few of them it makes sense for him to get to know them a bit before he goes full time. It seems to be fine, no major issues yet. We’ve had a couple of run ins with some of the boys recently but Dino seems to be holding his own out there, and looking out for Mimi too.

So, while the kids are out at the front of the house I’m pottering about at the back, in my garden… Today the grass got cut, the rose, teasel, buddleia and blackcurrant all got pruned; a flower bed got weeded; the blackcurrant prunings got shoved in some freshly dug soil - in the hope of sprouting more for sharing/next year. Having successfully made jam for the first time a couple of weeks ago I think I can find the space for a third bush for jam making! The apple trees got retied so their support stakes are actually supporting properly and the hens got de-loused, again. We currently have the 2 adult hens and Rainbow is the only one laying at the moment and she’s the one who is literally crawling with lice round her bum. Copper hates being handled and the indignity of being hung upside down by her feet and liberally dusted with "stuff" was more than the poor creature could bare and she let her protest be known, loudly. Rainbow, on the other hand, just sits there and lets me do it for a while. Eventually she gets fed up and makes a break for it so I have to hold on tight and work fast, but she’s easier. The lice will need keeping an eye on and will need re-treating in a day or so, again.

Bottom jaw, front right - Mimi has her first wobbly tooth. It’s not out yet, I expect that’ll take a few days and then there may be pics……

She’s very excited!

Nine years old today. Growing up fast and ready for new challenges - going to school full time in Sept (hence the uniform) 

Dino had his first half day session a couple of weeks ago and came home full of tales of the school garden and reading loads and that the teacher that day had said his reading is good….

Today was his second session and he’s come home full of playing basketball at lunchtime, what he had for dinner (sausages, mash and carrots with flapjack for pudding) and he got to plant the pumpkin and courgette plant he took in after a discussion he had the time before. (school garden doesn’t have round courgettes or pumpkins apparently and we had spares) This morning was their literacy and numeracy time and he says he did well in both, although he didn’t finish his sums, and the teacher was pleased with him - and this was the age/ability range he’ll be going into in Sept so that’s good.

He has a whole day there on Friday and he wants to wear his new school branded sweatshirt for that day.

Meanwhile, at home Mimi and I baked choc chunk muffins, she did puzzles and watched Harry Potter 1, again and we put washing on and then hung it out.

Rosie, our young Abyssinian guinea pig with the sticky up fur was found dead in her hutch this morning. No idea how or why she died, no obvious illness or cause.

She’s been buried in the garden. 

This is Copper, the copper maran. 

Copper posing on some concrete rocks - where Rainbow kept her for a good chunk of the morning before attacking her so I split them up again. 

And Rainbow, just so she doesn’t feel left out, stroppy git. 

Today was the prelim visit to look around and ask questions and Dino was a bit overwhelmed by the scale of school - and this is a smaller one. but he managed to ask most of the questions he’s come up with over the past few days and we did arrange 2 half days and a full day tasters so it’s not totally alien in Sept. His first half day is next Weds for the afternoon and then he’s away for a week so the other sessions are when he’s back.

But overall he’s looking forward to it all and is impressed by what is on offer at school for him. 

He also got to meet his teacher for next year and he says he likes her, so that’s a bonus.